November 19, 2024 – Coca-Cola Takes Bold Steps Towards 2025 Sustainability Goals with Reduced PET Usage
Coca-Cola is making significant strides towards its 2025 sustainability targets, aiming to drastically cut down on PET usage. In a move that underscores both environmental commitment and packaging resilience, the company plans to eliminate the equivalent of nearly 800 million bottles of virgin PET compared to 2024. This transformation is evident in the innovative redesign of PET bottles for its sparkling beverages in the US and Canada, where bottle weight has been reduced from 21 grams to 18.5 grams, all while maintaining the same height and diameter – a feat achieved solely through bottle shape optimization.
However, the promotion of lightweight PET bottles has presented new challenges for the recycling industry. These bottles are more susceptible to damage during the recycling process, impacting efficiency and quality. Enter Amut, a company that has risen to the challenge by developing specialized recycling technology for these lighter bottles. According to Color Masterbatch Industry News, Amut’s patented label removal machine, combined with a wet pulper, effectively removes labels from lightweight bottles with a removal rate exceeding 95%, laying a solid foundation for bottle recyclability.
Furthermore, Amut has upgraded its grinding machines to handle larger volumes of bottles while reducing the generation of fine particles, thereby enhancing recycling efficiency. The Envicco project in Thailand stands as a testament to Amut’s technological prowess. Over the past three years, the project has utilized Amut’s system to process between 45,000 and 50,000 lightweight bottles per ton, efficiently removing both PVC and non-PVC shrink labels. Its two-stage label removal system is particularly noteworthy: the first stage employs a dry label remover to eliminate most labels, followed by a wet label remover for pre-washing, which not only removes contaminants but also ensures bottle integrity and neck retention.
The combination of Coca-Cola’s light weighting initiatives and Amut’s innovative technology not only points the way forward for the sustainable development of PET bottles but also presents new opportunities and challenges for the entire recycling industry.